On the 25th of May, the Confucius Institute at UNSW Sydney hosted a Chinese food culture event where students from UNSW were able to understand more about the long history and diverse culture of Chinese food. By partnering with the Dragon Boat Chinese Restaurant, the students were able to enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine as well as food sculpturing and cutting demonstrations by the renowned chef, Mr Wang Jing. Additionally, there was a short and fun quiz about Chinese food along with a food plating competition that helped further the students’ understanding of different food cultures.
One of the highlights of the event was when Chef Wang cut a piece of tofu into a blossom chrysanthemum and also engraved two YuanYang (Mandarin ducks), all within the short span of a few minutes. Chef Wang stated that engraving the two Mandarin ducks expresses long and healthy relationships; and that he hopes that the relationship between China and Australia will continue to grow and be close like Mandarin ducks are. All the attendees were impressed by Wang’s amazing work.
During the food quiz, the students were asked questions regarding the origins and characteristics of the eight major Chinese cuisines. From the quiz, an interesting discussion opened up about Australian table manners compared to Chinese table manners. Finally, there was also a food plating competition where students were able to create their own unique dishes and show off their creativity.
The Chinese food adventure was a great opportunity for international and local students to share their passion for food and understand each other’s cultures better. The Confucius Institute at UNSW Sydney continues to strive to bridge cultures through hosting events such as the food adventure to further engage not only students but also the local community.
An article was written by China News Online about this event.
To read the full article (in Chinese), click HERE